I’m forming a club for people who feel like frauds when they call themselves writers. Prospective members are those who write on occasion, but don’t write often, haven’t finished anything in a while, and although they want to publish something, are working at such a slow pace that it looks like it’s never going to happen. This club would also be open to those interested in painting, drawing, sculpting, animating, etc. I know I’m not alone. Care to join me?
Wait. I don’t want to be a part of this club. I want to write, but I’ve been saying that for so long. Am I supposed to give in and accept that I will never reach my goals?
No. I refuse to give up, and you shouldn’t give up either. I’ve been trying to stop procrastinating for years. In this article, I will detail the steps I’ve taken to become a more productive writer.
Step 1. Realize When You Are Making Hollow Excuses
I don’t know about you, but my excuse for not writing was always, “I don’t have time.” My justification never changed because I never had time.
Well, I had time to watch over seven seasons of The Walking Dead with my fiancé this year, and I don’t even like that show. Plus, I wrote and published three books while I was a pregnant stay-at-home mom with a toddler and later a newborn. I realized if I could be productive at that busy stage of my life, my excuse of “not having enough time” was really a way to rationalize my procrastination.
How do we turn these bad habits around? We need to face reality and admit when we are choosing to procrastinate.
Step 2. Confront Imposter Syndrome
Maybe you tell yourself you’re not a “real” author because you’re self-published, you don’t have a critique group, or you stopped marketing the books you already have out. Or you’re not a “real” writer because you don’t write every day, go to writing conferences, or fraternize with other writers.
Here’s a beautiful fact—having a desire to write makes you a writer.
However, being a writer does not only mean you are someone who writes. To be a writer, you have to assume so many other roles. You must be a researcher, an observer, a comedian, a romanticist, an adventurer, and a storyteller. You read books, watch movies and shows, and listen to songs. You absorb other people’s stories in the media and the world and learn from them. Writing? Ha. That’s the easiest part of the process, where you get to sit and create stories on your own. Everything else you do as a writer, you are doing constantly. To be a writer is to see the world differently.
And isn’t that part of why we write? To make sense of our observations?
You don’t have to write a specific number of words a day or even write on a regular basis. Being a writer means you have the potential to change people’s lives with your words, even if you haven’t written them yet. Practice mindfulness. Talk to people. As you go through your day, notice the things you observe and what makes your perspective on the world unique. So, stop feeling like you aren’t a writer, an artist, or anything else. Accept that you already are.
Step 3. Create Goals
What exactly do you want out of your artistic career?
There are so many subjects in different genres that I enjoy and want to write about. I have more story ideas than I may ever be able to write. I decided that if I was going to dedicate so much time to writing, I should make the most of that time and choose the path that would have the most positive impact on my career.
Narrow down what you want to accomplish with your writing. Will you write books? Screenplays? Hire an illustrator and do web comics? Do you want your writing endeavors to be lucrative, or would you rather write for enjoyment?
It’s easy to get caught up in thinking in terms of our materialistic world, but I find this mindset can severely limit my point of view and the options I’m willing to consider.
Step 4. Pray for Help
Pray about what to write. Pray for opportunities to write. Pray for alignment in your life, heart, and soul. Pray about what needs to change for you to be able to make your work a part of your life. Pray about how to use your gifts. Carefully consider what is going on and what needs to happen for you to be able to spend more time doing what you love.
When we’re struggling with what path to take and everything we choose feels wrong, it’s important to remember to seek God’s counsel, and to give Him room to answer us. He knows how we can best use our talents to bless the lives of others, and He knows what’s best for us and all our needs, as well. For me, sometimes what feels right isn’t necessarily what I’d choose for myself. For example, when I got the prompting that I needed to publish a book as quickly as possible, the timing didn’t make sense. The book I wrote and published was not one that I would have thought to write at that time.
I haven’t regretted changing my mind about something that felt wrong, and I’ve always been grateful for doing what feels right. I know I want to follow God’s path for me. As long as I feel like I have that going for me, I’m usually happy with where I am and what I’ve accomplished. And I know this path includes writing.
Step 5. Take Responsibility for Time Management
My last leg of this journey has come down to establishing priorities and being responsible with my time. I’ve had to get to know myself better to learn what practices help me feel the most accomplished.
Discover what times of the day you’re most productive and get better at forming habits and routines. Self-discipline is not easy. I’d rather be editing my work than writing. But I’m telling you, navigating through this part is going to make all the hard work worth it.
Step 6: Do the Hard Things
Learn to accept and enjoy every leg of the journey. Learn to be true to yourself and validate yourself by celebrating your successes. Change takes time. Self-improvement requires healing. Sometimes other things need to take priority for a while, and that’s okay. That doesn’t make my desire to create any less valuable. Everyone loves the process of baking bread, but it takes time for wheat to grow. When you make your art a priority in every sense, you will find yourself able to stop procrastinating and become more productive.
What a great article. Thank you! I especially appreciated the whole-person approach you took.